RIP Vernor Vinge

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Mar 212024

Well, hell. Vernor Vinge has died.

Some years back he read some of my sci-fi stories (specifically my first novel) and suggested that I could/should get published. Turns out he was wrong on that score (couldn’t get any agent to actually read the damn thing), but for a brief moment a pro gave me hope.

Vernor Vinge, science fiction writer and creator of the concept of the technological singularity, has died at the age of 79.

The Unwanted Blog

Ballpoint Pen Bombers April 23, 2024
This is a little outside the usual for APR, as it is satire rather than actual aerospace design. But I thought it appropriate nonetheless; I remember dreaming up just about the exact same ideas when I was twelve. There was something about the design of those pens that just *screamed* for them to be envisioned […]
3D Printer incoming… April 22, 2024
I went ahead and ordered an Anycubic Photon Mono X 6Ks. The reviews are good and the price was ok; I have high hopes that it won’t be a monumental learning curve, but I guess I’ll find out. i expect I’ll be watching a fair number of YouTube tutorials. The CAD models I’ve made […]
Minis visualized April 20, 2024
Here are some hypothetical subjects for metal casting as “minis.” I have three pages (standard 8.5X11) of diagrams, all depicting possible subjects at the size they would be at the stated scales. First page shows what I consider a number of interesting designs… not at a constant scale, but size. Second page […]
Little Metal Excelsiors April 16, 2024
I’ve achieved a measure of success with getting metal casting up and running. I don’t intend to make too many of these NX-Excelsiors; they’re practice. But I have some spares and can make some more. Anyone interested? Say, $20 plus postage? It is my intention to make some NCC-2000 Excelsiors, and then some NCC-1701-B Enterprises. […]
Gyrojet in high speed/high rez April 11, 2024
For all the documentaries and such about the 1960’s Gyrojet “rocket gun,” this is the first time I’ve seen rounds fired with this sort of clarity. The rounds cost $200 each… which once again makes me wonder why someone hasn’t decided to put them into production. If there’s a market for them at $200 each, […]
Bell-Boeing LHX Tiltrotor art April 8, 2024
Artwork circa 1983 depicting a one-man combat tiltrotor tearing up a column of Soviet armor. At this time the Light Helicopter – eXperimental program included the possibility of tiltrotors as well as conventional choppers. In the end the RAH-66 won… and was then cancelled before series production. Tiltrotors showed promise, but also promised to be […]
Metal casting April 7, 2024
Some thirty or so years ago I took a stab at casting small parts and models in metal… my very early 1/144 lifting bodies, X-20, etc. The results were sad, so the project was abandoned. For reasons that evade me I’ve recently decided to try again. Materials available to me today are much better… high […]
Coming to ebay: ships, phasers, books March 26, 2024
Hansen’s “US Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History” is particularly nice. Contact with ridiculously generous bribes if you’re prefer not to wait: Some stuff I plan on putting on ebay… Star Trek ships, phasers, German/Japanese WWI aircraft & nuclear weapons books. If you want something but don't want to wait… I take bribes. pic.twitter.com/JKuW6vvd3u […]
Canon March 24, 2024
A few days ago someone on twitter repeated some nonsense that getting irritated about canon violations in, say, Star Trek was a sign that you’re kinda dumb, because canon is an impediment to writers who want to tell stories. Well, guess what: established canon is an impediment to only one kind of writer: the lazy […]
RIP Vernor Vinge March 22, 2024
Well, hell. Vernor Vinge has died. Some years back he read some of my sci-fi stories (specifically my first novel) and suggested that I could/should get published. Turns out he was wrong on that score (couldn’t get any agent to actually read the damn thing), but for a brief moment a pro gave me hope. […]